In large sealed refrigeration compressor systems it is conventional to monitor lubrication pressure generated by the compressor oil pump in order to prevent compressor operation when there is insufficient lubrication pressure to lubricate the compressor which could cause unnecessary wear and seizing of the compressor. Generally, lubrication pressure is monitored by determining the pressure differential between the crankcase and the output or discharge side of the compressor oil pump. The difficulty in monitoring this differential is due primarily to the variation in crankcase pressures which are dependent on temperature and type of thermal characteristic of the refrigerant system.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,551,069 a piston is shown disposed in a tube separating the interior of the tube into a high pressure portion which communicates with the output of the oil pump and a low pressure portion which communicates with the suction side of the oil pump. The piston is biased by a compression spring to move into engagement with a movable contact arm for a switch which signals loss of pressure. The switch is closed whenever the discharge pressure exceeds the combined force of the compression spring and crankcase pressure. However, this arrangement results in excessive wear of the movable sensor parts due to the continuous movement of the piston with the cyclic pressure fluctuations mentioned above as well as a need for some way to prevent nuisance tripping of the compressor motor if it is to be used to control the energization of the motor as stated in the patent.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,672,231 a shuttle is mounted within a bore in a cylindrical housing. The shuttle includes a magnet in one end and is biased by a compression spring toward the end of the bore in the cylinder. The magnet is used to operate a reed switch to turn the compressor on or off depending on the pressure differential between the discharge pressure of the oil pump and the combined force of the compression spring and the crankcase pressure. The shuttle is mounted in close contact with the bore in the cylinder to provide a circuitous high pressure flow path through the bore so that the reaction time of the shuttle is delayed in order to minimize the on and off operation of the compressor.
In both of these devices, flow is across the moving part which allows debris to collect on the inlet screen on the high pressure side of the pump. It should also be noted that both devices use compression springs to bias the pistons which are subject to buckling or uneven closure. This can produce dragging of the magnet with the inner bore causing friction and/or hysteresis.